Seahawks' Macdonald says Broncos' Payton accused Seattle of cheating in 2024
Head coach Mike Macdonald says Denver's Sean Payton backed off the allegation after Seattle threatened legal action if it went public.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said the Denver Broncos wrongfully accused his team of a Spygate-like cheating scandal in 2024, according to ESPN.
Macdonald said Broncos head coach Sean Payton ultimately "backed off" the allegation after the Seahawks threatened legal action if the accusation went public, per ESPN's report.
Details of the allegation
ESPN's report did not specify the exact nature of the alleged cheating scheme beyond characterizing it as similar to the NFL's Spygate controversy, a reference to a prior league sign-stealing scandal involving the New England Patriots.
Payton has not publicly responded to Macdonald's characterization of the events, according to the report, and the Broncos organization has not issued a separate statement on the matter.
The comments surface tension between the two teams stemming from the 2024 season, though it remains unclear whether any formal league inquiry was ever opened into the allegation.
Sources
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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